Developmental patterns of mother-child similarity in executive function and electroencephalogram coherence.

Abstract

Frontoparietal connectivity from electroencephalograms (EEG) and executive function (EF) behavioral task performance can elucidate one's capacity for cognitive self-regulation. Knowledge of mother-child similarity of EEG and EF behavioral performance provides insight into the developmental patterns of the organization and stabilization of these physiological and behavioral processes. The present study addresses a key question: does the similarity in EEG and EF task performance between children and their mothers exhibit a developmental increase from early to middle childhood? EEG frontoparietal coherence and behavioral performance during the completion of age-appropriate EF tasks were examined in children and their mothers. A socioeconomically diverse longitudinal sample of 175 mothers with their children at ages 3, 6, and 9 years completed laboratory visits. Results indicated that by child age 6 years, child-mother similarity had begun to emerge in EEG frontoparietal coherence. Moreover, and consistent with the study hypotheses, there was evidence of a pattern of increasing similarity in EEG frontoparietal coherence with increasing child age. There was also evidence of mother-child similarity in EF performance by age 9. These findings suggest that interventions targeting EF development may be more effective when engaging both mothers and children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).